In many legal systems, a defendant (or a suspect) who has been arrested and/or placed in the custody of law enforcement may be offered bail, which typically requires the defendant to deposit some form of property (usually money) to a court in exchange for the defendant's release from custody. Bail is typically offered to the defendant with an understanding that the defendant will appear at trial (or another proceeding relating to the defendant being taken into custody by law enforcement), and that the bail will be forfeited if the defendant does not appear. In some instances, a defendant may make bail by depositing all or a portion of the bail amount with the court. The amount of the bail may be determined by the court, and is often affected by the offense that resulted in the defendant being taken into custody, the perceived flight risk of the defendant, and other factors. An alternative to posting bail is posting a bond, in which a third party (e.g., a bail bondsman entity) agrees to be responsible for payment of the bail amount if the defendant does not appear or does not otherwise fulfill the obligations of the bail.